Characterization Lesson Plan: Key Ideas and Details

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This lesson accompanies the BrainPOP topic Characterization, and supports the standard of analyzing how authors develop characters and individuals with dialogue, actions, and description. Students demonstrate understanding through a variety of projects.

Step 1: ACTIVATE PRIOR KNOWLEDGE

Ask students: 

• What is your favorite character from a book or movie? How would you describe the character?
• What details from the story support your description?

Step 2: BUILD KNOWLEDGE

• Read aloud the description on the Characterization topic page. 
• Play the Movie, pausing to check for understanding. 
  

Step 3: APPLY and ASSESS 

Assign the Characterization Challenge and Quiz, prompting students to apply essential literacy skills while demonstrating what they learned about this topic.

Step 4: DEEPEN and EXTEND

Students express what they learned about characterization while practicing essential literacy skills with one or more of the following activities. Differentiate by assigning ones that meet individual student needs.

• Make-a-Movie: Create a video interview between you and a character from a story in which you ask and they answer these questions: What conflict are you facing? How have you grown or changed over the course of the story?  
• Make-a-Map: Make a concept map comparing and contrasting direct and indirect characterization, providing examples of each technique. 
• Creative Coding: Choose a character from a text you are reading. Code a digital museum exhibit with symbols and artifacts representing their personality and perspective.  

More to Explore

Story Elements: Continue to build understanding around how authors develop a story with more BrainPOP topics.  

Teacher Support Resources:

• Pause Point Overview: Video tutorial showing how Pause Points actively engage students to stop, think, and express ideas. 
• Learning Activities Modifications: Strategies to meet ELL and other instructional and student needs.
• Learning Activities Support: Resources for best practices using BrainPOP.